1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention is data processing, or, more specifically, methods, systems, and products for software application integration.
2. Description of Related Art
Software applications integration is crucial in improving productivity and reducing costs. By streamlining and integrating business processes, companies can greatly reduce operational overhead. By connecting business support systems and operational support systems, applications are able to work in harmony without costly intervention. By moving away from point-to-point messaging, companies gain the benefits of a centralized messaging infrastructure: greater control over business processes and increased operational efficiency.
In the past, software applications integration has been achieved only with high cost. Components of business support systems and operational support systems are often developed and manufactured by separate manufacturers or developers, utilize disparate data structures to encode the same data and utilize disparate modes of data communications. An inventory control application from one developer may post inventory changes, for example, across TCP/IP to a general ledger developed by an entirely different company. The same inventory control application may post in HTML through HTTP to a purchasing system from a third vendor using a third set of data structures. The purchasing system may post to the general ledger, using a third combination of data structures. And so on. The combinations are endless. And in the past, each such integration was accomplished by hiring systems analysts, software development project managers, software system architects, senior programmers, junior programmers, and so on, to build application integration adapters to convert the data structures and administer the data communications among all these disparate software application systems.
Such application integration adapters have typically been implemented in a so-called ‘point-to-point’ fashion. That is, an adapter is developed to couple this particular inventory application through this particular data communications coupling using this particular data communications protocol to this particular general ledger. Adding a new application to the mix required all the same new development costs as for the first two applications to be integrated. For all these reasons, it would be advantageous to have improved means and methods for application integration.